"Ah… I forgot"
Cassius raises his hand to rub his head, giving a slightly embarrassed smile as he looks down at the book that has been open on the same page the whole time. Only now does he realize he has been lost in random thoughts and completely forgot to turn the page.
Eliana watches that expression for a moment, then speaks.
"Is something wrong, Cassius? If you don't like that book, I can choose another one for you"
"No, no need" Cassius quickly waves his hands "You don't have to do that. It's just that I… can't focus when reading, it's not that there's anything wrong with the book"
Eliana stays silent for a moment, her gaze passing over the book before returning to Cassius.
"If you're not interested in reading, I can show you around the mansion. This place is quite large, there's no shortage of places to go"
Cassius's eyes light up a little when he hears that, clearly interested, but he doesn't answer right away. Instead, he turns to look at Emily sitting beside him.
"If I go with her for a bit… is that okay? Can you stay here and keep reading?" he asks, not wanting to interrupt what she is doing.
"I'll go with you" Emily closes the book in front of her and stands up.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to go, really. You don't need to stop reading just because of us"
Emily shakes her head, the veil swaying slightly with the movement. She turns to Eliana, holding the book in both hands and bringing it forward carefully.
"Can I take this book back to my room?"
Eliana pauses for a brief moment, perhaps not expecting that question, but quickly replies.
"Of course. Just take it, you don't need to ask. No one here forbids that"
Emily nods very lightly, as if that is enough, then turns back to Cassius.
"Then let's go. I can keep reading in the room"
Cassius looks at her for a moment, then smiles in his usual way, not saying anything more. He simply reaches his hand forward, and Emily takes it right after.
Eliana has already turned and started walking ahead at some point, but she still glances back once
"If you're coming, then hurry. I don't plan on standing here waiting for long"
"Alright, we're coming!" Cassius replies immediately, pulling Emily along as they walk a bit faster, the two of them leaving the library and following behind Eliana.
—
"This is the east corridor" Eliana speaks first, her voice even, as if she is simply doing her duty rather than actually wanting to introduce anything
"The main hall is ahead, and over there is the area for overnight guests"
"It's really big" Cassius says immediately, unable to hide his excitement. He looks up at the high ceiling, then turns to look at the neatly decorated walls.
"Every turn leads to a completely different place"
"Of course"
"This is the Prisce family's mansion, not those small houses you've seen"
Cassius nods as if truly taking it in, then looks around once more.
"Do you know every place here?"
"I know the places I need to know" Eliana answers, crossing her arms as she walks past a large doorway leading to another hall
"There's no need to know everything"
"Sounds like you know more than you say" Cassius smiles lightly.
Eliana glances at him, slightly annoyed but does not argue "You talk too much"
Cassius just smiles a bit more, saying nothing else, but clearly not silenced at all.
"Eliana" Cassius calls "Can we come back here again?"
"If you want, just come" Eliana replies briefly, then adds after a short pause "As long as you don't make noise"
"I'm not noisy" Cassius laughs "I just like talking"
"That is noisy" Eliana replies immediately.
They continue walking through a few more areas. At each place, Eliana gives short introductions, not lengthy but enough for Cassius to understand, while he keeps responding, asking more or making comments, keeping their conversation flowing without pause.
Emily remains silent most of the time. She walks along, listens, and occasionally glances at the two when they talk. Because of the veil, it is impossible to tell what her expression is.
Finally, when they return near the main hall, Eliana stops and turns to face them.
"That's enough. I don't intend to show you the entire mansion in one go"
"That's already a lot" Cassius nods, still a bit excited in his voice "Thanks for showing us around"
Eliana does not reply immediately, only turns her face away slightly before saying "It's nothing special"
"Then we'll head back first"
Emily, standing beside him, nods lightly "Thank you."
Eliana glances at her, then responds shortly "Mm"
Cassius gently pulls Emily's hand, and the two turn to leave, while Eliana remains standing there for a moment before heading back inside.
—
Cassius and Emily quickly return to their room. As soon as they open the door and step in, they see Thomas standing by the kitchen, still preparing a meal, the warm smell of food spreading throughout the small room.
"Oh, you two are back" he turns around and smiles lightly "Perfect timing, it's almost ready"
Cassius immediately pulls Emily to the table, sitting down with clear anticipation, while Emily sits beside him. After eating, the two quickly wash up and return to the bed.
Cassius climbs up first, lying down and stretching comfortably as if he has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Emily climbs up after him, bringing the book she borrowed from the Prisce mansion.
She opens it, places it in front of her, then lies on her stomach to read, her eyes focused on each line, not paying much attention to her surroundings.
Cassius rolls over toward her without saying anything, wrapping his arms around her naturally as if used to it, resting his head lightly against her like using her as a pillow.
Emily does not react to that action, only slightly adjusts her posture so the book is not covered, then continues reading.
After a while, she begins reading out loud, her voice soft and steady, enough for Cassius to hear clearly but not loud enough to spread across the room. In truth, even if she spoke normally, Thomas could still sleep comfortably, but she still keeps her voice low as she reads for Cassius.